Wong, the 2007 and 2009 WBT titlist, said that competing in a field comprosed primarily of men is nothing new to her.

"I used to fish the BASS invitationals and I've also fished other circuits with men as well," Wong said.

"If I were to do well in the Opens, it will bring women even more respect in this sport," Wong said. "I'm not going to say it will be easy. There are a lot of good anglers there. I'll just have to work harder at it."

Clark, 2006 WBT Angler of the Year, said she didn't think twice about entering the Central Open division.

"When they announced there were some spots in the Opens, it struck me as a strong, new challenge I wanted to tackle," Clark said. "I know there are a whole lot of good anglers, a whole lot more competition, but I realized I wanted that."

Clark also has little concern about the other competitors, or that the field is mostly men.

"I don't pay much attention to who the other anglers are, competition is competition," Clark added. "We're competing against fish, not men or women. I'm out to bring in five fish a day, hopefully five big ones."